Tow processing guide



April 1964 H. E. HAIGLER, JR 3,130,453

TOW PROCESSING GUIDE Filed Sept. 1, 1961 INVENTOR.

HENRY E.HAl"GLER,-JR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,130,453 TOW PROCESSING GUIDE Henry E.Haigler, Jr., Decatur, Ala, assignor, by mesne assignments, to MonsantoChemical Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 1, 1961, Ser.No. 135,611 2 Claims. (CI. 19-65) This invention relates to strandguides and more particularly to tow guides.

In the manufacture of chemical textiles it is always necessary toadvance a bundle or ribbon of filaments, or tow, from one point toanother. Since careful handling of the tow is essential to a marketableproduct, it is necessary to use the greatest care in the moving of acontinuous tow from one point to another, the moving being accomplishedby the use of rolls. Guides are used at frequent intervals along thepath of the tow. The guides may be used to change the direction of thetow, confine the tow path or to change the cross-sectional configurationof the tow.

A considerable amount of effort has been expended in developing towguides which achieve the desired result without disarranging thefilaments or otherwise darnaging the tow. However, most guides have notbeen completely satisfactory for one reason or another and effort isstill being expended to produce completely satisfactory guides. Withthese problems in mind, one of the objects of this invention is toprovide a novel and improved strand guide.

Another object of this invention is to provide a guide having a varyingguide surface.

A further object of this invention is to provide a tow guide having aguide groove which varies in width.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a cylindrical towguide having an arcuate guide groove of uniform depth and varying width.

One embodiment of the present invention contemplates an adjustablymounted tow guide having a cylindrical configuration and an arcuateguide groove of uniform depth and varying width. By rotating the guide,different portions of the groove can be presented to the tow toform thetow into a tight bundle or a larger, looser bundle.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent whenthe following detailed description is read in conjunction with thedrawing, in which the single figure is a perspective view of the guideshowing the varying configuration of the groove therein.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, a tow guide is shown secured byscrews 11 to a shaft 12 which is adjustably supported on a yoke 13. Theguide lib, which is provided for converging a wide, flat ribbon or towof filaments 16, has a cylindrical configuration with a guide groove 17extending around the periphery thereof.

The groove 17 is arcuate in cross section and has a uniformly varyingwidth and a constant depth as it extends around the guide it). The fiattow 16 passes through the groove 17 at a tangent thereto, assumes anarcuate cross-sectional configuration and is converged by the arcuatesurface or wall of the groove 17.

The guide 10 may be rotated to present any portion of the groove 17 tothe tow 16, a set screw 20 being provided for engaging the shaft 12 tohold the guide 19 in its adjusted position. A pin or pointer 21 attachedto one end of the shaft 12 is used to indicate the position of the guide10 so that precise settings can be made, a scale 22 being provided onthe yoke 13 adjacent to the pin 21.

For support of the yoke 13, a post 25 secured to the yoke extendsdownward into a sleeve 26 which may be supported in any desirablemanner. A set screw 27 extends through the sleeve 26 and engages thepost 25 to hold the yoke in its adjusted position.

In operation, the yoke 13 is positioned so that the axis of the guide itis perpendicular to the path of travel of the tow ribbon l6 and theguide is rotated until the desired portion of the guide groove 17 ispresented to the tow, the tow path leading through the groove. The towis then fed across the guide and is converged to the desired width. Thecross section of the tow in the guide groove is that of an arcuateribbon. As the tow leaves the guide it is passed over a cylindrical roll(not shown) which again flattens the tow, the width of the tow ribbonnow being less than before it reached the guide. The width of the towleaving the guide will depend upon the portion of the groove throughwhich the tow or ribbon passes.

By rotating the guide 10 to different positions the tow ribbon can beconverged to diiferent widths. If it is desired to converge one side ofthe tow ribbon more or less than the other side, the yoke l3 can beturned so that the guide 10 is at some angle other than perpendicular tothe tow path.

It is to be understood that the embodiment disclosed herein may bealtered or modified and that numerous other embodiments may becontemplated without depart ing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:

l. A tow guide, comprising support means, a cylindrical guide mounted onthe support means and having in the periphery thereof a groove having auniform depth, said groove having a uniformly varying arcuate crosssection, said guide being adustable in position to present differentportions of said groove to a tow being advanced therepast.

2. A device for guiding a tow, comprising a support, a yoke adjustablymounted on the support, a cylindrical guide adjustably mounted on theyoke and having in the periphery thereof a groove having an arcuatecross section and a varying width for receiving and guiding a tow, saidgroove having a constant depth around the cylindrical guide, and meansconnected to the guide for indicating the position of said guide.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,664,794 Seeley Apr. 3, 1928 1,853,930 Ripley Apr. 12, 1932 1,964,377Atwood et a1. June 26, 1934

1. A TOW GUIDE, COMPRISING SUPPORT MEANS, A CYLINDRICAL GUIDE MOUNTED ONTHE SUPPORT MEANS AND HAVING IN THE PERIPHERY THEREOF A GROOVE HAVING AUNIFORM DEPTH, SAID GROOVE HAVING A UNIFORMLY VARYING ARCUATE CROSSSECTION, SAID GUIDE BEING ADJUSTABLE IN POSITION TO PRESENT DIFFERENTPORTIONS OF SAID GROOVE TO A TOW BEING ADVANCED THEREPAST.